I Love Writing

  Growing up a block away from Pennypack Park, we naturally spent much of our time there.   While  most city kids were hanging at shopping centers or on street corners or in playgrounds, our  crowd hung out in the  woods.     On any given day, any season of the year, you could usually find at least a few of us somewhere in the woods. During the summer, we were at the Pavillion or on a grassy patch under a large oak tree near the waterfall. In winter, we went to our “clubhouse” which we built from pilched materials from a nearby construction site. They were building an upscale apartment complex which had buildings with six units for rent but also had townhomes which you could purchase.     Upon entering the park on our side of the neighborhood, there was a steep incline which leveled off to a narrow path. Follow the path across a small streambed, which was usually dry unless it had just rained then turn to cross a smal...

One of Those Days Cheryl was having one of those days. She woke up late thinking she hit the snooze but mistakenly hit the off button. Something went wrong with the toaster and every piece of toast was burnt, even when she’d turned down the dial to the lightest setting. She’d decided to unplug it when it sparked on the last batch which she popped up herself. Susan missed her bus and Roger, whose alarm never even went off, had to drive her to school because Kevin was not awake yet. Kevin’s school was closed due to a mold issue and it was Cheryl’s turn to stay home. Roger stayed home when Susan had the flu, so this week Cheryl would use PTO. After the morning rush, things seemed to calm down, but then the cat got sick and was throwing up all over the house. Every room she went into had a hairball or a pile of half-digested food. She called the vet and got a late-afternoon appointment and the recommendation was not to feed the cat until after the visit. She finally got to sit down for a m...